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First GP: 1999
Constructor Titles: 0
Driver Titles: 0
Wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Best Laps: 0
Points Scored: 44
Number of GP: 68
Drivers:
16. Jacques Villeneuve
17. Jenson Button
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History:
1999 : |
11th in contructors Championship with 0 point. |
2000 : |
5th in contructors Championship with 20 points. |
2001 : |
6th in contructors Championship with 17 points. |
2002 : |
8th in contructors Championship with 7 points. |
Career:
BAR took over the declining Tyrrell team at the
end of the 1998 season. The legendary Ken Tyrrell formed the team, which has
been in a decline since its former glory days in the early 1970's. Ken had been
captivated by racing since the 1950's, driving until 1958 before turning his
attention to team management, eventually founding the Tyrrell Racing Team in
1960. Many say that Ken's link to the top was formed when he discovered a young
Jackie Stewart and added it to his own technical abilities. Jackie was signed
after Ken was urged to give the young Scotsman a test drive in his Formula Three
car after the teams regular driver, Timmy Mayer was killed in Tasmania. When
Stewart proved faster than Bruce McLaren, Ken was quick to sign him. Although
Stewart raced in the Formula Two division, he moved into Formula One in
1968.
At that time, Ken was running with a Ford Cosworth DFV engine and a
chassis from Matra and Jackie Stewart only missed out on victory in the final
round of the season. It was a sign of things to come because the following year,
he was unbeatable, winning six races to collect both titles, the drivers for
himself, the constructors for Matra. In 1970 Matra refused to build a car to
suit the Ford V8 and as the new regulations made the old one obsolete, Jackie
was forced to race in a customer car from March. By this stage, Ken had hired
Derek Gardner to design the first Tyrrell, the Tyrrell 001, which Jackie
switched to when the March proved uncompetitive.
Together, Jackie Stewart
and teammate Francois Cevert blitzed the field in 1971, with Jackie clinching
his second title and Cevert coming in third. The following season saw Stewart
suffering with an ulcer, disrupting his season, but he returned in force in 73,
taking yet another championship, although Lotus won the Constructors
championship. Ken suffered a blow early in the season when Jackie informed him
of his desire to retire after the final race at Watkins Glen. It was set to be
his 100th race. He had the title wrapped up in Monza with the best drive of his
career, but he didn't get to race at The Glen as teammate and friend, Francois
Cevert died during practice and the team withdrew. It seems as if their success
died along with Cevert that day as the team has never achieved that early
success since.
Tyrrell developed the famous P34 six wheeler with the
theory that the four small wheels would lay down more rubber on the track,
producing an aerodynamically cleaner front end and at Anderstorp in 1976,
Scheckter and Depailler finished first and second. Ronnie Peterson replaced
Scheckter for the 77 season, but unfortunately by then, the P34's were no longer
competitive. Depailler gave the Tyrrell team victory again at Monaco in 1978,
yet this was to be their last until Michele Alboreto won in Las Vegas in
1982.
The 1980's and early 1990's saw a team that was only a shadow of
it's former self, highlighted only by some stunning performances by Jean Alesi
using Harvey Postlewaites' 018/019 design. It wasn't until 1994 that a glimmer
hope was seen to twinkle in Ken's eye. A worked Yamaha combined with Ukyo
Katayama saw the team tie for sixth place. But that sparkle soon faded as
although Mika Salo made a storming debut in 1995, running third in Brazil, he
succumbed to cramps and spun, falling to seventh and then failed to score points
for the next eleven races. Katayama failed to score at all.1996 was the same
with 97 seeing the team slide even further as they struggled with year old Ford
engines that left Mika Salo and Jos Verstappen struggling apart from a wet
Monaco GP that saw Salo finish fifth.
At the end of the 97 season, Ken
sold the team to British American Tobacco so that it could form a new team and
hopefully return to the early glory days. I998 saw Tyrrell race for their final
season, the name being officially changed in December then, sadly, Ken walked
away from the team after a dispute over the driver line up.
Jacques
Villeneuve’s manager led the team in its first year, with Jacques teamed up with
Ricardo Zonta. They started the season under a cloud, defying the FIA when they
launched the cars in dual livery, eventually compromising with a split livery.
Their first year ended in bitter disappointment without scoring a single point,
the team plagued with reliability problems race after race. Their 2000 line-up
was rumoured to be in doubt, with talk of Pollock being fired for the teams’
outcome in the 99 season and Villeneuve threatening to leave with him. However
this didn’t eventuate and the in house politics continue to rage.
Their first year with Honda went very well, Villeneuve putting in some very
strong performances and Zonta coming good towards the end of the season. However
it was too late for the Brazilian, as BAR signed Olivier Panis to line up
alongside Villeneuve for 2001 and together the duo had hoped to improve even
further on their fifth place finish in 2000. This failed to eventuate and they
fell behind their Honda powered rivals at Jordan. Jacques Villeneuve made it
quite clear that he was unimpressed with the overall package and dramatic
improvements were made for 2002.
However, the sudden dismissal of the
Canadian's close friend and team boss, Craig Pollock on the eve of the new car's
launch left yet another question mark over the 1997 champions future, with many
believing that 2002 would be his final season with the Brackley based squad.
Dave Richards took Pollock's place in an attempt to finally bring glory to the
team.
Proving his critics wrong, Jacques remains with the squad for
2003, as they become the sole Honda powered outfit on the grid. In the final
year of his five-year contract with the team, the Canadian will line up with
former Renault and Williams man, Jenson Button.